


Pastel Mafia

by eyes0ny0u



Category: SHINee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-27 21:21:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16227557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eyes0ny0u/pseuds/eyes0ny0u
Summary: Inspired by:





	Pastel Mafia

**Author's Note:**

> [Story prompt](https://writingmyselfintoanearlygrave.tumblr.com/post/172801008065/writing-prompt-s-one-day-you-lose-your-wallet)
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> One day, you lose your wallet, and it is found by a mob boss, who figures out that you aren’t in such a good place financially, and takes pity on you. So they start anonymously sending cash, clothes, and furniture to you in the mail, eventually, the mob boss sends you a letter to stating that they bought you a house, and it lists an address. What do you do?

Have you ever had one of those days that just shat on you at every turn?

 

Jinki was having one of those days. It started with a nick to his chin. Followed by the mistake of grabbing a mismatched pair of navy and black socks. The little faux pas heralded the doom of a deal he had been trying to broker with the Amarillo Group for the last year and a half.

 

All because he had taken a bite out of those pretty, little tea sandwiches offered by their host. His frustration with Carlos Amarillo's stubbornness had made him forget to check for allergens.

 

When he started choking Minho, his right-hand man had assumed the worst. He lost three men and fucked up any chance of partnership between the Lee’s and the Amarillo’s.

 

Not that he should worry. The way things had been going and the laboured painful breathing he was trying to control, he will die an ignominious death of cucumber allergy. Perfect.

 

So now they're on the street trying to be inconspicuous in their all-black suits wiping traces of blood from their faces and hands.

 

"Taemin, where the hell is that pharmacy?" Minho barked at the youngest member of Jinki's team.

 

"Around the corner. At the end of the block."

 

Minho's grip tightened on Jinki's arm as the wheezing grew louder. Without being told, Taemin held Jinki's other arm and dragged him with his fast clip.

 

The people who saw the entourage moved out of the way and averted their eyes. People in this neighbourhood had an instinctive fear of men in expensive suits with cold eyes.

 

Jinki didn't know how long it took them to get to the pharmacy. Hell, he wasn't sure how he stayed upright. He was too focused on not passing out and making sure no one saw his face.

 

At the buzz that signalled the door's opening, the man behind the counter looked up from his magazine. Brows raising at the group, hand instinctively reaching under the station. But before the attendant could pull out whatever it was he was hiding; three semi-automatic UZIs made their presence known.

 

“Hands on top of your head and you'll be fine," Chen said approaching the counter.

 

Without being told, the rest of Jinki's men, save for Taemin and Minho who were holding him up, fanned out and swept the three short aisles of the pharmacy store. Clearing it of customers who didn't have the common sense to leave when the group entered.

 

Someone found a stool that Minho guided Jinki on. While Taemin blocked everyone's view of him as Chen asked for wet wipes, bandages, antiseptic, and an EpiPen.

 

Jinki tried to modulate his breathing, so he didn't sound like he was dying. He still had appearances to keep. Who in hell would fear a mob boss who was allergic to cucumber?

 

Chen walked up to Taemin and handed him the items and retreated four feet away; adding another obstruction to the curious cashier's line of vision. Kyungsoo placed himself by the entrance and flipped the door sign to "Closed" while Chanyeol barged behind the counter giving the scared attendant a cold look.

 

Jinki grabbed the EpiPen Minho unpacked for him and administered it as fast as his bloated hands could. By the time Chanyeol came back into view, Jinki's breathing had started easing up.

 

"No exit out back," Jinki heard Chanyeol say to Taemin.

 

"Tell Suho, to meet us at Pacific," Minho told Kyungsoo, who was five feet away to his right. "We'll be there in twenty."

 

Kyungsoo turned away to place the call, still scanning the street from his vantage point.

 

"Are we going to make it in twenty?" Taemin asked over his shoulder.

 

"We'll be ready to go in about five," Jinki answered, glad that he could barely hear any slur in his voice.

 

When the whistle in Jinki's breathing was almost inaudible, he stood up from the stool. Tugging his suit into place and running his hand through his hair. The brief grooming put him back to looking like he just finished a business meeting.

 

Minho stepping away from Jinki's immediate reach, was the silent signal for the group to move. Kyungsoo led the way, keeping the door open for Chen who stood right in front of the doorway, as Taemin exited. Jinki followed, Minho and Chanyeol right on his heels.

 

Right before Minho moved to his right, his foot caught something, kicking it past Jinki's feet. The object tumbled a couple more times before it stopped right in front of Jinki. The object turned out to be a wallet, the cracked faux leather material was splayed open, with the owner's ID staring up at him.

 

Without thinking about it, Jinki bent to pick it up. A loud boom erupted over his head, the wall next to him exploding as a bullet buried itself in the concrete.

 

Minho shoved Jinki to the ground, his free hand already pulling up his UZI, returning fire. Taemin and Chanyeol planted themselves in front of Jinki as Kyungsoo and Chen dove behind the cars parked on the curb. Aggressively emptying their guns at the black car barrelling down the street.

 

Shots shattered the windshield and sent the gunman hanging off the backseat passenger window back inside the safety of the car, as it careened out of control.

 

With a loud screech, the car T-boned a parked van half a block away from the pharmacy. Chen and Kyungsoo followed the car and tied up whatever loose ends they found. While Jinki and the rest started moving towards Pacific, knowing it will be a matter of minutes before the cops arrived.

 

The six of them arrived on the corner of Pacific and Cordova. The prearranged pick-up location in case something went south with their primary exit strategy. The group calmly piled into the black van. Kai, the designated driver, eased into traffic just as the distant blaring of police sirens caught their receding tail light.

 

"Everyone in one piece?" Jinki asked, scanning his men in the dim interior.

 

A series of grunts was his only answer. Jinki unclenched his hand, releasing the tension from his entire body. He noticed he was still clutching the wallet that he had bent to pick up.

   

What a shitty day. But he was still alive. And the pitiful worn out thing had saved his life.

 

Jinki opened the tattered wallet; Staring up at him was a sombre picture of a 22-year-old Kim Kibum. The slim face with feline eyes and scarred eyebrow looked like someone who would probably look good on a magazine. Although the belligerent look in his eyes was most likely genuine. He'd seen the look in those eyes, especially around this neighbourhood full of frustrated, angry souls. But at least Mr. Kim was trying to do something about his circumstance, judging by the university logo on the ID.

   

Jinki slid the debit card out of its slot, untucking a receipt hidden behind it. Opening the small slip of paper the pitiful $23.72 looked up at him. Putting the balance check back with the debit card, Jinki continued with his rifling. A picture of a teenage Kibum and an elderly lady with a cloud of white hair, smiling widely into the camera. The woman's eyes were lined and wrinkled, but Jinki could tell it held the same feline slant.

   

"Find anything interesting?" Minho asked, who had been watching him go through the wallet.

   

Jinki didn't answer pulling out a letter from the cash slot, where it dwarfed the crumpled $5.00 that looked like it was older than Kibum himself. Jinki handed the wallet to Minho so he could open the paper. It was a notice of collection from a St. Johns Hospital for a Gwiboon Kim for ten thousand dollars.

   

A low whistle interrupted Jinki's scrutiny of the letter.

 

"I didn’t know education was this expensive," Taemin muttered, eyes on a sheet of paper.

   

"Or that minimum wage was this low," Minho said, turning what looked like a paystub around and tapped the bottom of the page. Drawing Taemin's eyes to the amount. "Do you think he still eats?"

   

"And they say we're the bad guys," Taemin said, shaking his head.

   

Jinki took the papers back and inspected what had caused their outrage. After a quick calculation in his head, Kim Kibum was going to be in debt for the next 30 years, if he didn’t work himself into an early grave that is. He counted three payslips from three different places for the last fifteen days of the month. Who knows how many more under the table job he took to get by. Jinki carefully put the document back in the wallet handed it over to Chen who was sitting in front of him.

   

"Pay off all of his bills."

   

"Sorry?" he asked turning around in his seat.

   

"Go through all the bills in the wallet and pay it all off."

   

"Whoa, that's over a hundred grand, boss."

   

"I'm aware, Taemin."

   

"Why?" Minho asked.

   

"I owe the kid my life."


End file.
